Saving 'life on this planet' key to future
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China will incorporate the preservation of biodiversity into its national and regional economic development plans, in a bid to curb the trend of species loss by 2020, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said on Wednesday.
"By 2015, we will stop the biodiversity degradation in key areas, namely our natural protection zones. The goal for 2030 is to ensure biodiversity is well protected around the country," Zhuang Guotai, director of the nature and ecological protection department of MEP, said at an international forum held in Chengdu, capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan, on Wednesday.
The targets - part of the national strategy and action plan on biodiversity protection - are still waiting approval from the State Council, China's cabinet.
Species worldwide continue to disappear at a tremendous rate - up to 1,000 times the natural rate of extinction, according to Ahmed Djoghlaf, the executive secretary of the United Nation's Convention on Biological Diversity.
"Faced with this crisis, it is time for the international community to rethink its relationship with life on this planet," he said.
Listed as one of the 12 most bio-diverse countries in the world, China is witnessing some severe problems of eco-degradation, said Zhuang.
For instance, some of the important wetlands and grassland in China are facing degradation, while about 15 to 20 percent of wild higher plants (or vascular plants) varieties are endangered.
Oceanic ecosystems are also threatened as a result of intensive development projects in coastal areas, according to Zhuang.
"Excessive grazing, mining, logging and fishing are among the major reasons for the biodiversity losses in China," Zhuang said.
To reverse that trend, China has designated 35 priority areas for biodiversity conservation, which cover about 20 percent of the country's total territory.
The issue of biodiversity will be included in environmental impact reviews for regional and industry-based economic development plans, said Zhuang.
The country is also working on developing effective policy tools to prevent the loss of biodiversity, such as ecological compensation.
"Considering the pressure and challenges China is facing, it is difficult to reverse the trend of losing biodiversity in a short period of time," said Li Ganjie, vice minister of MEP.
Losing biodiversity will result in the decline of important ecosystem services, including drinking and irrigation water, fish production, soil fertility, climate stabilization and the pollination of wild plants and crops, said John MacKinnon, an expert with the EU-China Biodiversity Program.
"We will have to reconcile ecosystem protection with reaching economic growth target," he said.
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